Operation Sandy was the codename for the post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
launch of a captured
V-2 rocket
The V2 (), with the technical name ''Aggregat (rocket family), Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range missile guidance, guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the S ...
from the deck of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
aircraft carrier
USS ''Midway'' on September 6, 1947. It marked the first launch of a large rocket, and the only time for a V-2, from a ship at sea.
Operation Pushover was a follow-up test in late 1949 to assess the danger to a carrier from a V-2 explosion.
Operation Sandy
Rear Admiral
Daniel V. Gallery, Assistant to the
Chief of Naval Operations
The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...
, was an early advocate of the concept. It was he who initiated Operation Sandy.
Preliminary testing was done at the
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area and firing range located in the US state of New Mexico. The range was originally established in 1941 as the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range, where the Trinity t ...
, using a simulated aircraft carrier deck. The V-2 to be used was assembled at White Sands.
[ It was shipped across the country to the east coast and loaded aboard the ''Midway'', then the largest carrier in the Navy and equipped with an ]armored flight deck
An armoured flight deck is an aircraft carrier flight deck that incorporates substantial armour in its design.
Comparison is often made between the carrier designs of the Royal Navy (RN) and the United States Navy (USN). The two navies followed ...
. The aircraft carrier sailed to a point several hundred miles south of Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
for the launch.
After liftoff, the V-2 tilted at an angle and subsequently broke up at an altitude of , disappointing the distinguished witnesses.
Operation Pushover
Operation Pushover determined how much damage would result from a V-2 toppling or exploding on a carrier deck, using a simulated deck built at White Sands. In late 1949, a fully fueled V-2 was set on a pedestal with four legs, two of which were rigged with explosives to be "blown away just after ignition of the rocket motor."
See also
Photos and link to a newsreel account of Operation SandyPhotos of Sandy and Pushover
References
{{Authority control
Sandy
Sandy may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
* Sandy (surname), a list of people
* Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...
1947 in military history